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Old 04-01-2020, 01:22 PM   #21
Bluellama44
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Join Date: Jun 2019
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Wrapping Up the Offseason

FYI: Who's making the most money in the GLB this year?

Mark Hibbard, CHR, $390K
Jesus Contreras, BAL, $380K
David Osma, BAL, $380K
Jarrod Clark, DAL, $290K
Eric Gunn, DET, $290K


(12/09/1969) - The San Francisco Seals send 36-year-old SP Ilai Austin to the Washington Senators for 23-year-old LF Mark Stringham and 24-year-old LF Leonardo Macias.

On December 14th, Brady Weinstein accepted my 1 year, $30K offer. When the Rule 5 Draft rolled around, I selected Luis Tapia, a 24 year old fireballer who should immediately be one of our best options out of the bullpen.

Bears Ship Pimentel to Cleveland The Fresno Bee - December 18th, 1969

BNN is reporting a rumored trade between the Fresno Raisin Bears and Cleveland Buckeyes has been finalized. The deal, which is expected to be announced sometime during the next few hours, will reportedly send 27-year-old C Jon Pimentel and 19-year-old minor league CF Derrick Reed to Cleveland in return for 29-year-old RHP Juan Aguilar and 22-year-old minor league 1B Thomas Ammann. The clubs were noncommittal on the trade, but did not deny it.

Fresno will retain a portion of Pimentel's remaining contract.


The acquisition of Michelangelo Martinez pushed Pimentel out of contention for the backup catcher position, so I was happy to ship him off for a guy who should be one of the better pitchers in our bullpen in Aguilar. We have Rivera practicing 1B, but Ammann will be a solid bat in the future so I decided to grab him. We'll jump that hurdle when we come to it.

(12/22/1969) - Chicago signs veteran SP Jeff Nobles to a 3 year, $512K deal.

On December 24th, Nate Stone accepted my 1 year, $50K offer. I plan to start him at SS.

On his scouting expedition to the Dominican Republic, Nate found a very interesting player that he signed to a deal. His name is Edgardo Escobar. Escobar is only 16, but he makes consistent contact with the ball while being a free-swinger. He's committed to being a versatile player, and should really be able to slot in anywhere on the field besides pitcher and catcher. Unless he adds some serious power to his game, he'll never hit many HRs, but he should be able to do pretty much everything else.

(12/24/1969) - Buffalo signs 32 year old SP Matt Hamilton to a 1 year, $79K contract.

(12/25/1969) - Boston signs 30 year old RP Jon Garcia to a 2 year, $114K deal.

On January 6th, Lupe Salas inked our first new contract in the new year. Our bullpen is full now. It appears as if our offer was the only one on the table for Salas, and really most of the other guys we signed.

Lopez Joins Greats in GLB Hall of Fame - GLB Daily - January 7th, 1970

There is a new statue in the Golden League of Baseball Hall of Fame.

It belongs Alex Lopez. The star pitcher was inducted this past weekend. All it took to get there was 214 wins.

"I always dreamed of being a Golden League of Baseball player, but I never dreamed of being in the Hall of Fame," Lopez said, "I could have never envisioned myself standing next to my childhood idols and yet here I am. And to the Hall of Famers sitting behind me, I am truly humbled and in awe of standing here in front of you."

In his career, Alex Lopez posted a record of 214-159 and fanned 1516 batters in 3427.2 innings with a 3.29 ERA.

At times Alex Lopez fought back tears as he thanked his family and close friends for sticking by him when he had to overcome some difficult personal problems.

Summing up his years on the diamond, Lopez offered a hopeful message to the large induction crowd.

"I care for this game with my heart and soul. I dedicated my life to being the best pitcher I could be. You leave me humbled and grateful for this honor. I'd like to leave an offering of a message of hope. That is, with the grace of God, you can change your life, whoever you are."


The next few weeks were lazy in the Front Office. I hear Dustin Malone brought the team together for a meeting in Fresno, but I have no clue what he told the players as I was in Chicago celebrating during holiday season.

As a whole, I really like how our offseason went. With hardly any money to spend, We acquired 6 solid GLB players and a couple of promising youngsters. Getting rid of Fuentes and Sistos' contracts allowed us to have much more financial freedom. Cutting payroll, adding young players and improving the team are recipes for Owner happiness, so I was excited to hear that Rich Goode wanted to meet me in Fresno, thinking he'd congratulate me about having a great start with the team.

As I stepped back into his office for the first time since I was hired, I quickly realized that this was far from the truth. Rich Goode wasn't who I thought he was.
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Old 04-01-2020, 03:29 PM   #22
Bluellama44
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A Meeting As Shocking As They Come

"Sit down, Michael."
"Hello Ri-"
"Sit down," the Owner said with a cold glare I can't say anyone's ever given to me.
"You've spent $180K this offseason on four competitors that were abonimable last year."
"Abominable? Rich, Jonathan Ellis we-"
"Don't call me Rich."
...
"Sir, these players could be good ballplayers given good playing time. Ellis has been an above average SP his whole career and is a great leader in the clubhouse."
"I'm lowering your budget."
"What? After revamping the lineup, we're still thousands under budget...."

"I'm subtracting $200K"
...
"And selling the team."

That's when the electricity went out, rain started to drop from the sky, and lightning struck the ground just outside of the office. The door was kicked open by a figure that stood at the door like a statue as Rich Goode silently walked out of the room.

When a flash of light from the 2nd strike of lightning filled the room, I got a look at the guy. From what I saw during that split second of visibility, he was wearing the exact same suit as Rich, and by the look of his face, they had to have been identical twins, unless this was just a massive coincidence. The figure sat down, apparently oblivious to the fact that I could hardly see him in front of me. I heard something that sounded like a jacket being unzipped, and then a quiet shuffling noise before lightning struck once again. Another strike of lightning revealed the guy, who had to be at least 55 or 60, with long, wet jet black hair. He was wearing aviator sunglasses, and although I couldn't see his eyes, I could tell he wasn't happy about the interruption.

I had a feeling I knew who this could've been.

After the 4th lightning strike disappeared, he stood up proud in the dark, with a microphone, telescope and notebook in hand.


"I'm the owner now..."
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Broski."

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Old 04-03-2020, 10:54 AM   #23
Bluellama44
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The First Meeting

After that bizarre introduction, we got right to work on discussing our goals for the season. I never once learned his name, age, or background during this meeting, but he sounded like he knew what he was doing, which might give him a leg up on past Raisin Bears owners.

"I have 6 key goals for the next few years that I think will lead us to making our organization healthy. My first goal for us this year is to not suck completely. I think under 100 wins is a good benchmark considering this team is almost unrecognizable compared to last year's. With our new lineup, manager and leaders in the clubhouse, I'd be happy with a 70 win season. Thoughts?"

"I think 70 is reasonable. We should be able to meet that goal next year."

"Excellent. My next goal is to increase fan attendance per game to 11,400 in Raisin Bears Ballpark. Now I know our projected attendance is 4,700 next year due to losing key players, but this goal is a long term one and I want it completed by 1973. Our stadium is a classic, historic park. I've watched it be empty for far too long. I hope the young core you're building can draw some fans to Raisin Bears Ballpark over the next few years."

"I'll try my best."

"Now, listen Michael, while I'd rather have a team that's winning and out of money than a team that isn't winning but is turning large profits, I still want us to make money here. I don't expect to turn a large profit this year, but I want us to make at least $210K by the 1972 season. If there's one goal you have to sacrifice to build a winning team, let it be this one."

"Considering our projected balance after this $200K budget drop is $932,530, this is going to be a tough one. I might need more help with this one."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. One goal I'm really excited to see you achieve is finding a top prospect. The Raisin Bears need at least one star player who can bring fans to the park and be the face of the team. Whether that's someone we already have who you develop, someone you draft or someone you trade for, I don't care, but getting a top prospect and developing him into a great player is something I've wanted to see happen in Fresno for a long time."

"I think having the #1 pick in the upcoming draft puts us in perfect position to get a top prospect. We're looking at High School SP Curtis Murray, I'm sure you've heard the name."

"I sure have, and I'd be thrilled to have him. Although it'd certainly give us some much needed attention around the league, we can't just have one star rising through the ranks. Any good team has a solid supporting cast. I know it can take a long time to build a deep farm when the team is so depleted of impressive big league talent, so I'm giving you 3 years to do so. I understand we have the #19 ranked farm currently, and a few of our best names are going to be debuting this year. However you need to achieve this goal, just try to get it done. I know Nate Derrough has been working on getting guys from around the globe, and I'm willing to help out with that if you keep the payroll low enough. We may even be able to land one of the 16 year old Dominican blue chips.

"I think we're well on our way to building a top farm. This draft will be a huge one for us, and will probably do most of the work in pushing us through the ranks. I'd definitely be willing to go after one of the better International Amateur FAs if the budget allows it."

"I'm happy to hear that, Michael. My final wish is that you bring Fresno a playoff team by the 1972 offseason. We've been deprived of playoff baseball for 21 years and haven't gone over .500 in 31 years. I've been in the booth for 30 and have never been able to celebrate one playoff game victory. The least you can do is get us there."

"That's what I'm here to do, boss."

"Groovy. Catch you later. Good luck preparing the squad for Spring Training with Malone, I hear he has something interesting planned. Can't believe pitchers and catchers report in 2 weeks. I like to think that's the start of a new era in Fresno baseball. I believe that you'll be able to make the next decade here different from the last and win us some ballgames, broski."
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Old 04-03-2020, 07:13 PM   #24
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Offseason Round Up

Fresno Raisin Bears Offseason Round Up The Fresno Bee - February 14th

Because it's Valentines Day, we couldn't resist the urge to talk about the team we love (most of us actually hate it). The Raisin Bears certainly had a busy offseason, and delivered on the team revamp that they clearly needed. The first order of business for former owner Rich Goode and his cabinet was to sign a new General Manager. Team insiders suggested Goode wanted to go for an older GM, thinking a young one wouldn't adhere to his financial restraints. After signing 23-year-old Chicago native Michael De Luca, he was proven right, but more on that later. Being by far the youngest GLB GM ever, De Luca was offered the position fresh out of University of Florida after earning a sports management degree. Goode's cabinet stated "his passion for the game stood out to us. He was also the only guy out of 50 candidates who accepted the offer."

De Luca would get right to work, firing incompetent manager Jonathan Janes after he went 50-112 with the team in 1970. Janes was picked up by Baltimore, who assigned him to a managing position with their Rookie League Laredo Inferno. He chose to meet with former Rogues Closer Dustin Malone, who debuted when De Luca was just 2 years old. Malone, who made 3 All Star Games with Chicago and 7 in total, had no previous managerial experience but expressed a lot of interest in guiding a minor league team to the playoffs and then working his way up through a GLB farm system. When Fresno went straight up to him and offered him the Raisin Bears spot, Malone said there was hardly a decision to make. "No offer came close. I was ecstatic to be given the opportunity to manage a GLB team". "And we were ecstatic to give him that opportunity," De Luca followed up. Malone told us he had big plans for the team, but that even ownership and the team's GM were not to be told about what he had in store. "When you see it in Spring Training, you'll know it" chuckled Malone, who is 43-years-old.

In addition to signing a new manager, De Luca brought in Fresno's new Hitting Coach, Pitching Coach and Scouting Director. He decided not to sign himself an Assistant GM, stating he needed to save some money for the Free Agents. He also kept 58-year-old Bench Coach Steve Brooks, who was kept on board for his "extreme passion for the game and incredible work-ethic." De Luca suggests that should rub off well on young players, and that the team hasn't had any success with Brooks because they haven't had any decent young players in the GLB lately. Wow, hopefully Grabenstein didn't hear that!

Luis Dominguez, a 51-year-old Mexican, was chosen to be Fresno's new Pitching Coach. He worked with New York from 1960-1965, and, considering the team's ERA was only over 3.60 once, he did a very good job. Dominguez, who made 3 GLB appearances for Buffalo in 1945 (De Luca hadn't been born yet), works very well with groundball pitchers, which the Raisin Bears have an abundance of. 60-year-old Helespontico Lopez was brought on board to be the team's Hitting Coach. Helespontico last coached in 1963, when he won 109 games with Dallas. De Luca loves his all-around hitting approach, but admits his awesome name also played a part in the decision to bring him on board. "When you find a guy named Helespontico, you gotta sign him." Uh oh, sounds like something the past Fresno GM would say... Maybe that's why Grabenstein's here? Now I wonder if the Unknown Player had a cool name... Anyway, yeah, solid signing.

We all know scouting is central toward acquiring quality youngsters to build a team around. Actually, most of us know that, with Raisin Bear GMs over the past 40 years being the exception. That's why us over at The Fresno Bee were very pleased when De Luca picked up exceptional Scouting Director Nate Derrough, who brought San Diego countless good players during the 4 years he was there. He's reportedly been extremely busy with helping De Luca find prospects to trade for and the player they want to take with the #1 overall pick in June.

Jonathan Janes got the last laugh after he was fired just before the Derrough signing, destroying the locker room. Team officials say this was a legitimate setback and may have cost them a few Free Agents. Darn you, Janes!

With a full set of staff (if you ignore the fact that Michael De Luca has no Assistant GM and is "basically winging it"), the Raisin Bears executed their 1st of 4 trades this offseason. Fresno brought in Juan Sanchez, a swift-fielding CF with a sweet swing, who was ranked as the #36 prospect when the trade was made. 19-year-old 2B prospect Ben Bitto would also join the organization. Just a few days into Free Agency, Fresno pulled the trigger on their 2nd trade, when they dealt ace Danny Fuentes to Washington for highly-touted Catcher Michelangelo Martinez, who they expect to start behind the dish on Opening Day. This deal also net them 3B Ryan Hartman, SP Bobby Long and SP Alex Martinez, all of whom should be regulars.

De Luca took a quick break from trading when he signed 36-year-old SP Jonathan Ellis to a 1 year deal during Winter Meetings. We suspect Ellis, who went 14-12 with a 3.32 ERA last year, will be Malone's Opening Day SP. Just a day after signing Ellis, Fresno traded for 2B Jonathan Gary, a 29 year old who Malone says he plans to start. The Raisin Bears also picked up 23-year-old RF Nick Morrison, who is raw but should contend for an outfield spot in the future, 29-year-old SP Alex Torres, who probably won't crack the Opening Day rotation but may fill in for an injured player, and 19-year-old 2B prospect Alejandro Martinez. They gave up a 4 player package of their own that was headlined by middle-infielder Fernando Nunez.

De Luca orchestrated his 4th and final trade on December, getting strong RP candidate Juan Aguilar and 1B prospect Thomas Ammann for 2 players that were left without a spot on the team, young OFer Derrick Reed and Catcher Jon Pimentel.

This is when SS Nate Stone, RP Lupe Salas and 2B Brady Weinstein accepted offers outstretched by the Raisin Bears. We can't find a better candidate for the starting SS spot than Stone, so we're suspecting that's where Malone will play unless Fresno's trying to lose 112 games again. Salas is certainly one of the most talented players in Malone's bullpen, so again, expect to see him there. While Weinstein does have talent, he'll probably have to fill in for an injured player if he wants to be a starter.

Shortly after, Rich Goode shockingly sliced $200K from De Luca's budget and decided to sell the team to their own long-time announcer. We'll tell you his name once we learn it. Goode declined to comment on the matter, while De Luca said he felt sabotaged and wanted to get back at the old mean for screwing him over. The Raisin Bears now find themselves over $300K over their new budget, even with the league's lowest payroll by around $500K. It remains to be seen whether or not De Luca will feel forced to dump Catcher Teodoro Ceraolo, who's making $160K this year, which is $100K more than any other Raisin Bear is earning.

With an option that had it's ups and downs, the Raisin Bears Front Office is probably exhausted heading into Spring Training, where they'll get to sit back and watch their youngsters play under their new manager. All in all, the Fresno Raisin Bears got a new GM, new Manager, new Hitting Coach, new Pitching Coach, new Scouting Director, were sold to a new Team Owner, made 4 trades, made 4 signings, made countless scouting trips, went over countless player evaluation scouting reports, had to repair a clubhouse in ruins, were
scrutinized by Old Bill, and, finally, most important of all, were written about by The Fresno Bee!
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Old 04-04-2020, 07:10 AM   #25
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Any "ink" from a newspaper is generally a good thing. Creates buzz about the team, and gets those fannies in the seats!
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Old 04-04-2020, 05:21 PM   #26
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ST Is Underway

Spring Training Preview - Baseball's Worst, the Fresno Raisin Bears (1969: 50-112, 5th) February 16th - GLB Daily

With Fresno's first full-squad workout being tomorrow, we're taking the time out to give you a preview of the 1970 Fresno Raisin Bears headed into Spring Training

Starting Rotation: Newly signed pitcher Jonathan Ellis (12-14, 3.32 ERA) will headline the rotation, with returning righties Nick Kain (4-3, 3.06 ERA) and Jose Mora (2-9, 3.63 ERA) following him up. Bobby Long (10-4, 4.39 ERA), a fan-favorite SP Fresno got in the Danny Fuentes trade, will start 4th. Rule-5 pick Luis Tapia (28-28, 2.94 career ERA in the minors) and Fuentes trade-import Alex Martinez (12-2, 1.97 ERA in AAA) will compete for the 5th spot, pitching 5th and 6th in the 6-man Spring Training rotation respectively. This year's rotation is very deep, with Alex Torres, Juan Aguilar, Josh Hartley and Ruben Jaquez all being emergency options out of the bullpen.

Bullpen: Free Agent signing Lupe Salas (4.45 ERA, 2 SVs) will most likely take the stopper role, as manager Dustin Malone has chosen to ditch the use of the closer. If Salas falters during ST, expect to see Gary Jeoffrey (5.97 ERA, 0 SVs) assume the position instead. Alex Torres (3.52 ERA, 0 SVs) and Josh Hartley (7.97 ERA, 0 SVs) will enter the spring as the club's Long Relievers, and are ready to fill in for any injured SPs. Ruben Jaquez (1.69 ERA, 0 SVs) and Blake Cline (3.12 ERA, 0 SVs) are 2 very solid lefty options, while the nasty Juan Aguilar (4.19 ERA, 0 SVs) will be the final middle reliever. This is a bullpen full of talented yet inexperience pitchers. Although Salas is pretty good, he put up the worst pitching season ever in 1965, and nothing he does this year will make people forget that. I guess he fits in well in Fresno.

Catchers: The Raisin Bears rolled out a solid 3-man catcher rotation with Teodoro Ceraolo, Jon Pimentel and Travis McConnell. Michelangelo Martinez (Rookie), the centerpiece of the Danny Fuentes trade, should be the undisputed starter in this position. McConnell (AAA) will back him up, and Ceraolo (.179-9-40) will be the 3rd catcher unless his contract is dumped.

Infield: Fresno revamped their infield over the offseason, adding Ryan Hartman (.263-27-95 in AAA) to start at 3B, Jonathan Gary (.266-4-29 in AAA) to start at 2B and Nate Stone (.214-1-15) to start at SS. They are attempting to teach former OFer Jorge Rivera (.306-20-77 at AAA) first base during ST, and plan to start him there if he's successful. They've also called up top prospect David Lorenzo and will give him some ABs during ST, but say he doesn't have a shot at the majors yet after a terrible showing in AA. Brady Weinstein, John Rosek, Rich Butler, Walter Gold and Mike Coffey will have some playing time as well.

Outfield: The Raisin Bears built on a very intriguing outfield this offseason, adding young gun Juan Sanchez (Rookie). Rob Grabenstein (.187-.253-.286) will start ST in CF, with Ricardo Ramirez (.248-10-42) next to him at RF. If Grabenstein fails to hit well, he'll likely start the year in AAA, letting Sanchez be the starting CFer on Opening Day. If he performs, the team plans to start him in Fresno. New guys Nick Morrison (Rookie), Carlos Herrera (Rookie), Adam Brown (Rookie) will get a good amount of at-bats, as will returning OFers Paul Grengs (.202-0-6) and Mike Wargo (.275-1-8). This should be a productive outfield for years to come if Fresno doesn't ship off Grabenstein, Sanchez or Ramirez.

Top Ranked Player: Ricardo Ramirez (8th ranked RF)
Projected 1970 Finish: 69-93, 5th in Captain's League West Division for 4th year in a row
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Old 04-04-2020, 06:27 PM   #27
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AAA guys need to come through. Whole different level of pitching they'll face in "The Show". Appears you've assembled a decent team, and they may surprise you with more than the predicted 69 wins!
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Old 04-05-2020, 07:00 PM   #28
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I'm getting excited for Spring Training!
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Old 04-07-2020, 03:20 PM   #29
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ST Circus

After reading those run-downs on the team, I made the 3 minute walk from my cramped office building to Raisin Bears Ballpark, which had opened early. A few small stores, mostly ones that sold baseball cards or memorabilia, had put stickers of our logo or player-signed posters back on their walls. With the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky to block it, breezy California days like this almost had a scent of baseball in the air. I heard some faint music as I approached our ballpark, while being stopped by a fan on the street who wanted to watch the action unfold and maybe get an autograph. There was no security by our gate, only a stray dog eating the remains of dropped food.

When the field would be revealed before me as I walked up the Section 50-51 steps, I expected to see Malone addressing the team in a brisk and orderly fashion about their first full-squad workout together. That couldn't have been further from what was actually happening.

The whole scene unraveled in front of my eyes all at once. About 20 guys, some in uniform and some not in uniform, were watching a circus act in centerfield. An elephant was walking around third base with a player on its back. There were guys juggling chainsaws near homeplate, and then lighting a bunch of baseball bats on fire and juggling those. Two thoughts rang in my mind the whole time. One, what in the world is going on, two, where the hell is Malone and the rest of the staff? I spotted Bench Coach Steve Brooks sitting with a few coaches in the dugout and ran through some of the chaos to greet him. "Hey, having fun on full-squad workout day, huh?" "If we're the worst team in the world, we're gonna have fun with it."

I still saw no sign of Malone, but did spot the Team Owner laughing uncontrollably in the announcers booth while commenting on the mayhem as if it was a game being broadcasted. I barged into the booth, which looked like it was in ruins. "Hey, where's Malone?" "No clue. A few players went off with him across the parking lot and disappeared." The place across the parking lot was to be my next destination. An older guy wearing a shirt that said "Old Bill" on it was walking to the park with some kids and asked me why smoke was rising from the home plate area. I told him to go see his team for himself.

I crossed the parking lot and came across a big brick building that featured a sign that said "Caution: Bears inside." I assumed that may have meant Raisin Bears, and I was right, as you should be able to tell by the fact I'm alive to tell you this story. At 1:12 PM, I finally saw some baseball being played. The building was split into 4 sections, all featuring different guys instructing each other on hitting. Malone snuck up from behind me.
"Mike! Glad to see you made it. Quite the circus going on back there, huh?" "Good to see you today Dustin, can you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm finding my leaders." He waved his arm around, seemingly trying to point at everything and everyone in the room at the same time.

Suddenly, it all made sense. This was what Malone was planning. He wanted to spot his diamonds in the rough. His flowers in a garden of concrete. Malone wanted to see which players meant business and would resist the temptation to have fun with the rest of the guys, instead practicing their craft. I was very pleased to see the players that showed up. Jonathan Ellis immediately greeted me when I was done talking with Malone, and complimented me in that I had gone out and traded for such well-behaved young ballplayers. I played it off like I intentionally grabbed the best clubhouse influences, when all I wanted was to find young, undervalued players. Juan Sanchez could be seen talking with Michelangelo Martinez as he smashed batting practice pitches from Pitching Coach Luis Dominguez. Rob Grabenstein was next door, quietly trying to hit his way onto the Opening Day lineup. Jorge Rivera and Ricardo Ramirez were chatting to each other while working out at the back of the building. Ellis, a 36 year old pitcher, was monitoring a bunch of 23-24 year olds as they did what they loved more than goofing off with their friends or watching people play with fire, playing baseball. Malone had done everyone in Fresno a huge favor. He had found the team's core.
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Old 04-10-2020, 02:41 PM   #30
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1st Week of ST

The first week of Spring Training games went accordingly:

Monday: 6-4 (W) @ LAK | Nick Kain looked good, allowing a lone run in 4 innings of work. Malone gave Alex Torres 2 innings, and he struck out 2 while letting none score. It was Ruben Jaquez's turn next, and he gave up 3 runs in 1.2 IP. Lupe Salas came out to close the game with 1.1 IP. The offense looked excellent, with Gary, Martinez, Herrera and Grabenstein contributing multiple hits.

Tuesday: 6-0 (L) vs BUF | Mora only allowed a run in his 4 inning start, but Cline and Jeoffrey came out and let the game slip away. Stone got 2 hits.

Wednesday: 9-5 (L) @ DEN | Luis Tapia looked great in our 3rd straight 4 inning 1 run start. Sadly, Juan Aguilar came in to allow 6 runs, while Jaquez and Torres allowed 1 each. Adam Brown hit the ball very well today, but failed to get on base after his 2 run HR in the 5th.

Thursday: 5-3 (L) vs CHR | This is the 4th straight 4 IP 1 run start for us, but this time it was with Alex Martinez pitching. Josh Hartley had to deal with costly errors from Gary and Stone, letting in 4 unearned runs. No one recorded multiple hits.

Friday: 7-5 (L) vs MIL | Make that 5 straight starts! We had Ellis on the mound this time. Alex Torres came in after him and threw 3 perfect innings, but Lupe Salas and Juan Aguilar worked together to blow the game, both allowing 3 runs to score. While no Fresno player recorded multiple hits, Juan Sanchez, Jonathan Gary, Walter Gold and Ryan Hartman all delivered their hits in the clutch.

Saturday: 5-3 (L) @ SD | Our streak of 4 inning, 1 run starts ended today in a bad way, when Bobby Long gave up 8 hits and 5 runs in 4 innings. Jeoffrey and Cline both threw 2 scoreless, but a quiet day on offense meant this would be the 5th straight loss for the Raisin Bears in Spring Training. Travis McConnell got 2 hits.

Sunday: 9-6 (W) vs PHI | Nick Kain got rocked, throwing 4 innings while giving up 9 hits and 3 runs. Aguilar and Hartley would also allow a run each. Luckily, a grand slam from Jorge Rivera and a 2 run homer from Bobby Jensen fueled the offense enough to earn themselves their 2nd Spring Training week.

We went 2-5. That sucks, but I don't care about our Spring Training Record. This period of time is about letting guys earn their spots on the team and letting the team gel, not winning games. Juan Sanchez (LF) and Jorge Rivera (1B) are both adjusting to their new positions well and crushing the ball. Hartman is also crushing it, hitting .429 with 2 HRs already. Rob Grabenstein and Ricardo Ramirez are struggling more than anyone else on the team, but a week is a tiny sample size and I'm frankly not worried about either of their production. I'm getting increasingly excited to see what SP Luis Tapia (0-0, 2.25 ERA) can do.
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